In the end, Xiao Qijin chose to stay on the first floor. Fortunately, there was still a vacant room there, so Nan Muran arranged for him to stay in a room with a private bathroom.

Looking at the large bed, balcony, and small sofa in front of him — all so unfamiliar — Xiao Qijin felt even more at a loss.

“You can take your clothes out and hang them in the wardrobe yourself. I’ve put your toiletries in the bathroom. No one lived in this room before, so for now, you’ll use the bedding we brought along on the road. Later, we’ll replace it with new ones,” Nan Muran said casually as she took out Xiao Qijin’s designated bedding and a full set of toiletries from her storage space and set them up for him.

She didn’t say much about Xiao Qijin’s obvious nervousness, treating it casually and naturally as if everything was normal.

Seeing that Xiao Qijin was young and shy to the point of being painfully awkward, Bai Mei helped him tidy up the room.

“You all go back to your rooms and unpack. Come down later for dinner,” Bai Mei said warmly to the travel-worn group after they finished tidying up, leaving Xiao Qijin to wash up and rest in his room.

Everyone was indeed exhausted from the long journey, and Nan Muran returned directly to her room on the second floor.

Even after being away for more than ten days, the entire house was still spotlessly clean, not a speck of dust in sight. The wine bottles on the rack had been carefully arranged, and even the frequently used glasses had been thoroughly cleaned and were ready to use.

She casually dropped her backpack and curled up on her familiar sofa. The soft touch immediately made her relax.

After dozing off on the sofa for a bit, she got up and soaked herself in a hot bath. The warm water, carrying a floral fragrance, seeped into her pores, allowing her whole body to relax completely.

After bathing and freshening up, she changed into a loose, Instagram-style pajama set: beige with large black floral patterns, half-velvet material.

Staring at her clearly still-wet hair in the mirror, Nan Muran felt a bit frustrated. Having gotten used to Si Ye taking care of her over the past days, she had become lazy about handling these little things herself.

Just then, there was a knock at the door. Slightly sulky, Nan Muran went to open it.

When she saw who was standing there, her lips curled up into a natural smile: “It’s you.”

“Your hair’s still wet — you might catch a cold,” Si Ye said, pulling her inside and naturally closing the door behind him.

He gently pushed her onto the sofa and went to the bathroom to grab a hairdryer, hair oil, skincare products, and a beauty device.

Watching his smooth and natural movements, Nan Muran couldn’t help but laugh.

“I knew you wouldn’t have the patience to dry your hair properly,” his low, husky voice teased from above her, full of indulgence.

Nan Muran obediently nodded. “Isn’t that why I have you?”

Si Ye didn’t reply, just smiled lightly as he carefully and tenderly dried her hair.

Over the past two weeks, he had become thoroughly familiar with all her little habits — hair care, skincare, every bottle and jar — and now he handled them with impressive ease.

After helping Nan Muran freshen up, the two of them headed downstairs.

Just as they reached the staircase landing, a shadow bolted into the villa at lightning speed, launching straight toward Nan Muran standing midway up the stairs.

“Tank, stay!” Si Ye, following behind, immediately shouted, his face darkening upon seeing Tank — now clearly bigger — charging like a bullet.

Both Eagle and Jiawu were startled. With Tank’s size and speed, if he tackled Nan Muran without restraint, the inertia alone could knock her over — falling on the stairs could be disastrous.

A shield of water instantly formed in front of Nan Muran.

Tank, already airborne, couldn’t stop himself and slammed straight into the shield.

The moment he hit it, the water shield transformed into a large ring that wrapped around Tank, absorbing all his momentum before gently setting him down on the floor.

Nan Muran let out a breath of relief and immediately stepped forward to hug Tank’s big head, feeling his stunned confusion turn into aggrieved grumbling.

“You really have no sense,” she said helplessly. “If I hadn’t reacted in time, that tackle would’ve sent me tumbling down the stairs. My bones would’ve been crushed.”

Tank, realizing how dangerous his behavior had been, sheepishly rubbed against her, then flopped into her arms, madly nuzzling her neck.

Seeing what he was about to do, Nan Muran quickly pushed his big head away and firmly refused, “I just washed my face. No need for another wash.”

Everyone around couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of the girl and the giant dog.

Tank gave his heartless owner a resentful look, feeling incredibly wronged.

Not only had he been “beaten up” just now, but now he couldn’t even get the comfort he wanted — pure misery.

“From the looks of it, we have a winner?” Si Ye squatted next to Nan Muran, scratching Tank’s head, amusement clear in his voice.

Tank rubbed against Si Ye gratefully, thankful that he had protected Nan Muran earlier.

Looking at Tank’s body covered in shallow scratches and the still snow-white, proud, and elegant Xuan Yue (玄月) by the door, Nan Muran instantly understood how the battle had gone.

Still, she deliberately teased, “Looks like our Tank won?”

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yue silently turned her head away, feeling secondhand embarrassment for Nan Muran’s intelligence.

Tank froze on the spot.

He was sure his owner had said that on purpose — absolutely sure.

Seeing Tank’s gloomy look, Nan Muran quickly changed the subject while healing his wounds, “Tonight we’ll have a feast.”

The minor injuries on Tank’s body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, but what made him happiest was the mention of extra food at dinner.

While Nan Muran had been away, the dogs had mostly lived on dog food, only occasionally getting some meat. Their meals had seriously downgraded.

Now that she was back, it meant tasty meals were returning — even Sirius (天狼), who came in behind Tank, was full of starry-eyed anticipation, clearly craving it too.

“Xuan Yue, you and your pack are welcome too,” Nan Muran said, looking at the aloof wolf by the door.

Xuan Yue paused, thinking: We can find our own food in the mountains…

But Nan Muran smiled and shook her head. “I have enough food to provide for you. And it’s not for nothing — as I mentioned before, from now on, only we humans can live on this mountain.”

Xuan Yue immediately understood.

The wolf pack could choose to either eat here or hunt in the mountains, but they had to help guard the mountain. For them, it wasn’t hard — they already lived in the forest.

However, did Nan Muran know how much wolves could eat?

Just as Xuan Yue hesitated about whether to drag the pack off to find food…

Nan Muran started pulling out massive chunks of fresh meat, chicken, duck, vegetables, and fruits — all divided into huge bowls, each piled high with a balanced mix of meat, vegetables, and grains. It was ridiculously luxurious.

At that sight, Xuan Yue completely gave up the idea of foraging. Eating here was just fine.

Watching the villa full of wolves and military dogs, Nan Muran’s eyebrows twitched uncontrollably. She couldn’t let all these creatures stay inside, or the place would be wrecked.

Si Ye, seeing her thoughts, said, “Don’t worry. Leave it to me.”

Nan Muran, too lazy to worry, handed the matter over to him directly.